Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has defended his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Fubara announced his defection to the APC on Tuesday at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Port Harcourt.

In his address at the meeting, Governor Fubara claimed that he did not receive protection from his former party, which informed his decision to join the ruling party.

He credited President Bola Tinubu as the reason he is still standing as the governor of oil-rich Rivers State today, and said he would join the President’s party as a way of saying “thank you” for that protection.

“What you all have been waiting for, what you have been asking me—the signal has finally arrived. We have the full support; we have the positive nod to leave where we are because we didn’t get any protection to go to where we are going,” Fubara said.

“The reason why we are still standing is because of that place, and the truth is, without Mr. President, there wouldn’t be any His Excellency Siminalayi Fubara; it would have been former governor.

“So, we have every reason—because the truth is, let nobody be fooled in this state—we have the people, we have the supporters. Our only ‘thank you’ to Mr. President is to support him, and we cannot support the President in isolation; we cannot support the President if we don’t fully identify with him—not backyard support.

“So, we have taken that decision today, since we have gotten the pass. Everyone here who has followed me, who has suffered with me—our decision today, this evening—is that we are moving to the APC.”

Fubara’s defection comes just four days after the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and 17 other lawmakers left the PDP for the APC on December 5.

The lawmakers attributed their departure from the PDP to the ongoing crisis within the party.

After the Speaker and several influential lawmakers left the House of Assembly, there were reports indicating increased pressure on the governor to join the ruling APC. (Channels TV, but headline rejigged)